Planting HerbsA guide to planting herbs–their cultivation, preserving and usage

Preserving flowers by pressing them is an age-old process that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike and can be as complicated or straightforward as you wish. One of the simplest ways to press flowers and herbs is to place the small sprigs of herb or the individual flowers between sheets of blotting paper, insert them between the pages of a telephone directory and then put more weights on top.

Pressing Material with a Flower Press

A slightly more sophisticated method involves using a standard flower press, which is usually available from craft shops or garden centers. This consists of two pieces of plywood with a hole in each of the corners. Threaded through each hole is a bolt with a wing nut on the end. Fill the press with ten layers of flowers, separated by sheets of newspaper and blotting paper. Any more layers than that become unmanageable.

Start with a layer of newspaper and then place a sheet of blotting paper on top of it. Lay out the flowers or herbs you wish to press on this, making sure that none overlap and they are all at least 1 in (2/5 cm) from the edge of the paper. Carefully cover them with more blotting paper and then place a layer of newspaper over that followed by another sheet of blotting paper. Add more flowers and continue until you have placed ten complete layers in the press. Finish with a layer of newspaper, then screw down the bolts. Label the press with a list of its contents and the date and put it in a warm spot for approximatley six to eight weeks, by which time the contents should be dry and ready to use. If you want to refill the press, the contents can be unpacked into cellophane-fronted paper bags. Thoroughly iron the used blotting paper and newspaper to remove any dampness and then the process can start again.

Pressing Herbs in the Microwave

The majority of attractively shaped or colored herbs are in shades of green, which is the first color that fades from pressed material. However, pressing herbs in a microwave oven gives a better color retention, so the color will last longer than it normally does.

Take two pieces of 10×8 in (25×20 cm) hardboard and two pieces of blotting paper that are slightly smaller in size. Lay out a piece of hardboard, place a sheet of blotting paper on top and then arrange some pieces of herb on the blotting paper, making sure that none of them overlap or go over the edge. Cover them with the other sheet of blotting paper and then the second sheet of hardboard. Using five very strong elastic bands, hold the two pieces of board togerther by stretching three elastic bands along the 10 in (25 c.) length and two along the 8 in (20 cm) length. This should hold the ‘sandwich’ together very tightly.

Then place the package in the microwave on the lowest setting available to you (defrost or lower) and cook for approximately five minutes. The timing needed will vary according to the thickness of the material you are pressing, but five minutes is a fairly average time with which to start your experiments.

Leave the bundle to cool when it comes out of the oven and then check to see whether it is completely dry. If not, wrap it all up again with the elastic bands and heat for two or three minutes longer. Allow to cool and check again. When the material is completely dry and stiff and has cooled down, it is ready for use.

The best way to master this technique is to try your own microwave and make notes on the drying times various materials have taken. Do take care to use a low setting only or the hardboard will catch on fire–not a good start! A few herbs will not press, but the majority give very successful results.

Making an Herbal Picture

Arrange flowers and/or herbs on silk that is stretched across a colored linen mount. The silk could be in any toning color but cream is a gentle and neutral background that always seems to blend well with flowers and leaves. It can also look just as effective if you use a cream card background. Once you have laid out the herbs and flowers you want to use, leave the picture for a while under a sheet of glass. When you return, you may find you want to make a few alterations; it is far easier to make an objective criticism of your work if you have been away from it for a while.

When you are happy with it, the arrangement can be glued in place with a latex adhesive. If you have used a card backing, the design and mount can then be fitted into an ordinary photo frame with very little effort. If, however, you choose to do your design on a silk backing, the framing process is a little more complicated and the picture must have a piece of 1/2 in (12 mm) foam placed behind it or some wadding (as you would use in quilting) and a hardboard back fitted. The frame is then attached by tacking nails at right angles to the frame into the rebate to hold the sandwich of glass, mount, design, padding and hardboard back together. Alternatively, you can use a professional glazier’s gun or ask your local picture framer to help you out!

Botanical Themed Pictures

Perhaps you could collect a little piece from all the herbs in your kitchen garden and make a design with an entirely culinary theme, or an aromatic collection of herbs in a picture. What a shame one can’t smell through the glass!

Herbs also lend themselves very well to botanical-style pictures. You could collect and press all the different components of the plant, perhaps at different months of the year, then display them in a simple way with a good quality frame. A lovely idea for a picture in a kitchen would be a display of all the various types of mint, including applemint, pineapple mint and spearmint, all arranged and perhaps labeled in copperplate writing to give an antique feel to the design.

Other Ideas for Pictures

Shakespeare mentioned many herbs and wild flowers in his works and a delightful picture could be made using all the flowers mentioned in a particular play or even a more general Shakespearian collage. Some of the better-known varieties named in Shakespearian plays are borage, clover, columbine, cowslip, daisies, larkspur, lavender, myrtle, roses, rosemary, rue, thyme, violet and winter savoury.

There are many ideas that could make beautiful herbal gifts using pressed herbs and their flowers. One of the bonuses of pressing is that it takes up very little space compared to drying the herbs or arranging them in their fresh state. So, if space is at a premium for you or for the recipient of your special gift, pressing may well be the answer.

Herbal Miniatures

Because herbs are simple unassuming plants, they seem to look better in plain arrangements, without the formality of design that one might use with stronger garden flowers. The herbs you place in the pictures could depend on your personal favorites or on the choice of the person for whom you are making them.

There are many ideas on which to base a collection. The herbs could all begin with the same letter, such as bay, balm, basil and borage. Alternatively they could all come from the kitchen garden using thyme, mint, parsley and sage.

Other Ideas

Pressed herb greeting cards could make a lovely present if the herb ties in with the gift. For example, you could make a collection of home-made herbal teas with gift tags illustrating the relevant herbs and a larger card with a collection of all the herbs displayed as a bouquet. A lovely set of writing paper could be made with different herbs decorating each sheet.

If you are good at calligraphy, you could copy out a poem (or compose your own), then decorate it with the relevant pressed flowers, following the list of flower meanings at the back of the book. Favorite family recipes could be written down and decorated with ther herbs that appear in them. A sturdier piece of card, or a set of postcards, could be decorated with pressed herbs and a set of recipes written on them for a keen cook. Many home-made cordials and wines can be made with herbal plants and a set of recipes for them might be very well received.

Once you start thinking along herbal lines, you will have many ideas for unusual presents to delight your family and friends–that is, of course, if you can bear to part with them. Perhaps you should consider making something for yourself first and then, if it works out well, you can make a second version as a present to give away! Hand-made paper looks very attractive, but alternatively there are some very pretty, naturally dyed recycled papers available to give your message a ‘green’ and environmentally friendly feel as an added bonus.

A Pressed Herbal Wedding Bouquet

Flowers and herbs play a very important part in the celebration of a wedding. As an unusual alaternative to traditional wedding flowers, why not organize a wedding with an herbal theme, where the bride’s bouquet and head-dress are mainly flowers and plants with herbal uses. The arrangements could have an herbal cottage garden feel. They will also dry very well–after the wedding the bouquet is dried and the flowers are then wired around a basket filled with pot-pourri. This is a lovely and unusual way of preserving flowers from a wedding or any other special occasion. The bride’s head-dress meanwhile can be pressed immediately after the wedding and six weeks later the flowers and herbs will be ready for use.

Apart from looking beautiful as a bouquet and head-dress, the herbs also carry some secret meanings in the language of flowers. The bouquet could contain some delphiniums, feverfew, rue, scented geranium leaves, ferns, wild clematis, borage flowers, comfrey flowers, conifers, rosebuds, which mean ‘pure and lovely’, the scented geraniums mean ‘preference’, the fern means ‘sincerity’, borage means ‘cheerfulness’ (and bluntness) and the clematis signifies purity. The only meaning I am a little unhappy about is that attributed to rue, which is meant to signify remorse, but it looks so attractive in the design, that it can be overlooked!

Making the Design

The design can be a recreation of the head-dress and the shape can be made to fit the bride’s hairstyle. The design can be arranged on silk and then padded before framing. However, it is just as attractive to use a card backing and far easier to frame afterwards. Make sure that all the components are well glued with latex adhesive, as the herbs are very light and can easily move about after framing.

It would look lovely to use home-grown flowers for the bride and attendants. They don’t always last as well as bought flowers, but, while they do, the effect is beautiful. A wedding with a country theme can look very natural and helps to make a special day even more so. For example, for the herbal wedding, you could have pressed flower invitations with an herbal theme, pressed flowers adorned on the place cards and the bride and groom could also use some notelets decorated with herbal and garden flowers to write their thank you letters after the wedding.